Thursday 7 May 2020

HOW ARE WE COPING IN THE LOCKDOWN?

As a Mentor, befriender, Visting lecture, and writer of learning disability and mental health awareness I'm very concerned about how the lockdown is affecting people, even though the lockdown is health and safety guarding us against the coronavirus. I am aware that this can have a huge effect on people's mental health.
Just because we are staying at home a lot, it doesn't mean that life should be dull for us. I do agree that not everyone is struggling to get through day after day but I am writing this report for those who are.
No matter who we are and what our situations are, for most of us the lockdown has become a huge change in our lives, which I guess can vary to better for worse or some even the other way round. As we know it's very unknown how long we are in this lockdown for and what the future is and isn't.  We all know that the lockdown rules are for our health and safety. In many walks of life, a lot of us tend to disagree with the government but in this case, most of us do agree. Never the less this can have a huge effect on mental health even I guess the government will agree on that. All the same, we are in this lockdown situation for however long and there are ways of us getting through this together online despite not been able to communicate face to face.

From the 18th to 24th May 2020 it is Mental health awareness week but we awareness needs raising in all topics not just awareness weeks and not just the lockdown. Mental health can affect people's lives emotionally. Emotional support WWW.samaitans.org free phone 116-123, Mind infoline 0300 123 3393 3393 Monday to Friday

If anyone is facing these issues community care, benefits, debt, criminal justice, and or care rights. Rethink advice and information 0300 5000 927 local rates 9.30 -  4pm

Bereavement 0800 634 94 94 freephone helpline WWW. bereavementadvice.org

Family lives 0808 800 222 free phone WWW.familylives.org.uk

Age UK 0808 800 222 freephone advice line

If you live in the west midlands such areas as Sandwell, Dudely, and Walsall 0345 64 64 827

Staying in a lot can increase heating bills when getting cold spells etc, such as gas and electricity British gas 0330 202 000, EON 0345 052 000, Scottish power  0800 073 000 EDF 0330 200 5100, N Power 0800 073 3000, SSE 0345 026 2658
NHS Jobs job.nhs.uk
http.//WWW.wolvesworkbox.com/signup/  for those in the West Midlands and Wolverhampton area.
If these sites are not helpful or and not in your area, there should be similar sites online that may be around your area or not far from you.
I will be adding other sites to this report as time goes on.
This could be on things like mental health, emotional support, hobbies, interest, careers, debt support, etc.

For those who may be lacking friendships due to not being able to communicate with people face to face. On Facebook, I have a friendship group for people with disabilities and other problems and without before joining the group it may show the information I wrote on the purpose and safety guarding feel free to read to see if it's for you or not, and I also have a website link on this website, that gives out the same information that's on my pinned post and description on my group. Its called friendship group for people with disabilities and other problems and without.

I would like to offer support, even when we have moved on from the lockdown if we ever do. Reason for that is that the lockdown is so unknown to what the future holds, we may always be in risk of the virus but it might be that we may have been wearing masks, gloves, etc everywhere as I am guessing we can't be in lockdown forever but slow steps to get out of it. Some places are reopening but others not quite yet. I'm guessing that we are a long way from finding a cause, test, etc of the coronavirus just yet.

Friends and family advice. A friend in need is a friend indeed, there's always someone worse off than yourself. Even though a lot of us have the internet these days, many of us forget we didn't many years ago, it is also easy to forget that there are probably are people who have no internet as all, I understand if they don't have any other form of contact it is not possible to stay in touch but if you know people who no internet but other ways to contact and you have access to contact them please do.

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